According to the US Travel Association, an estimated 2.2 billion person-trips were undertaken by US residents alone in 2014. Since 2011, the volume of trips has grown by approximately 2% every year, and is forecasted to continue growing annually by the same extent through the year 2020. Naturally, it follows that there is a perpetual demand for improved storage and access to articles, such as, but not limited to personal belongings, during travel. Reciprocally, improved methods for carriage of personal belongings may contribute positively to the travel industry—more convenient storage and access to personal items can simplify certain inconveniences of traveling, thus potentially increase willingness to travel and boosting travel expenditures as a whole.
During travel a person often desires to store an article and retrieve said article at a later point in time. For example, this article may include, but is not limited to, an over garment (such as a jacket, coat, suit coat, sweater or other comparable apparel). An example scenario might include an individual who may want to remove an over garment when encountering a change in ambient temperature, such as an airport terminal, for the purpose of physical comfort or convenience.
One current method for storing and transporting personal articles typically includes holding the article by hand. Carrying an article by hand severely limits that person from performing other potentially important functional tasks using said hand. For example, a person may be unable to use the article-carrying hand to make phone calls, write documents, or any other essential or non-essential tasks.
Another current method for storing and transporting articles includes placement of the article within the interior of a fixed-volume space. General examples of such boundary limited spaces might include, but are not limited to a handbag, backpack, garment bag, duffle bag, or carrying case such as a suitcase or luggage. These current transport methods that involve static volume, fixed-boundary spaces as just described do not allow for continuous and immediate physical access to the article in transport because said article is stored interiorly in an enclosed space. When the article is stored interiorly away from immediate physical access, a person will be at a disadvantage if direct and rapid physical retrieval is required of said article.
Furthermore, rolling, stuffing, packing or otherwise manipulating articles to fit within the above described confined spaces can cause considerable damage to the article itself. For example, damage might include unwelcome creasing of the fabric of an article.
Additional difficulties with current methods of article storage, access, and transport include the burdensome effort required for the act of article placement or retrieval from within an enclosed space. For example, said effort requires unzipping, unlocking, or otherwise opening an enclosed space (such as a suitcase or luggage, or other similar enclosed compartment typically used to transport articles). Moreover, the effort just described is often undertaken in undesirable areas, such as crowded airport terminals or in the small trunk of a motor vehicle, requiring further energy expenditure and impeding the ease of article storage, access, and transport.